• Orleams on April 06, 2026

  This was an important vegetarian cookbook in its day.

• ruthdeutsch on March 28, 2021

  The very first book I bought when we decided to go vegetarian 40 years ago and one I continue to use regularly. Some of the recipes are a bit dairy-heavy for today's taste, but worth an occasional splurge. This is my go-to for comfort food. Still a nice choice for easing into a vegetarian diet.

• Recluse on January 27, 2011

  A collection of decadent vegetarian recipes that I grew up eating (my mother was vegetarian for many years). I still crave some of the recipes in this book whenever I need comfort food. The baked macaroni and cheese that calls for Fontina is excellent, and the Dal is a staple of cheap but tasty student living.

Notes about Recipes in this book

• Irish soda bread

  • radishseed on December 21, 2013

    This bread is a little dry and tough.

  • ruthdeutsch on March 28, 2021

    My goto recipe for Irish Soda Bread. Quick and reliable. I've made it with all white flour, whole wheat, and a mixutre of both. I sometimes add grated cheddar and cardamom for a really tasty loaf.

• Corn bread

  • ruthdeutsch on March 28, 2021

    Our favorite cornbread recipe. Quick, easy, and always comes out perfectly.

• Potato peel broth

  • rmardel on March 18, 2025

    This was one of the first vegetarian broths I made, and I made it frequently in my 20's and 30s, and then fell away, entranced by other books, other techniques. I recently came back to this book and wanted to try old favorites. I am glad I did. This soup is very simple, made from staple vegetables and the trimmings one might normally toss. And it is delicious. The broth itself has a light, sweet vegetal flavor that is almost fruity, although there is no fruit. It is not quite complex enough to use alone, but it is a great base for other dishes, vegetarian and otherwise. A reintroduction to my stock pantry.

• Garlic broth

  • rmardel on March 18, 2025

    I made this with the potato peel broth, as suggested. The resulting broth is clear, light, and complex. It would make an excellent base for further soups, but it is also delicious on its own, either plain as refreshing broth or as the base for a clear broth awaiting the additions of vegetables or noodles (even fish, although not vegetarian) would work very well with this broth

• Potage les deux champignons

  • rmardel on March 18, 2025

    This soup is very much like the rich creamy mushroom soups of my childhood in the 1960s. It is perhaps too rich according to modern popular tastes, but I find the mouthfeel wonderful. It is a rich soup, intended for small servings, which is indeed the way similar soups were served in my childhood. It is also straightforward and simple, although I suspect the idea of making a velouté in a double boiler is an old-fashioned idea of simple. I don't think it would work as well with any other technique. The soup develops a more concentrated mushroom flavor with an overnight sit in the fridge and is easy enough to reheat in that same double boiler. This is boon if served as a first course. I''d like to play with using a mix of mushrooms, and perhaps rounding out the flavor even more.

• Corn and cheddar cheese chowder

  • ruthdeutsch on March 28, 2021

    Very rich, but worth the splurge. Perfect for a cold winter day.

  • katiesue28 on May 23, 2024

    Delicious! Much thicker than i was expecting, but tasted like a hug in a bowl! Loved the taste of the cumin seeds. I added one minced serrano pepper and some smoked spanish paprika for extra flavor.

• Savory pepper soup

  • Laura on December 21, 2014

    Pg. 66. I used to make this soup about once a week back in the 70s. I loved it so much. I haven't made it in probably 25 years -- I wonder what I would think of it today.

  • ruthdeutsch on March 28, 2021

    A family favorite. It freezes perfectly. At the end of summer when peppers are plentiful I make a huge batch of this soup and freeze it for warming meals throughout the winter. I prefer it a little less spicy, so usually go light on the hot peppers.

• Herb croutons

  • okcook on November 27, 2013

    These are delicious and simple to make. The recipe calls for the whole slices of bread to buttered both sides with the herb mixture and then cut into croutons. Much easier and much more even coating of the croutons with this method.

• French vegetable salad

  • radishseed on August 20, 2018

    Nice alternative to potato salad. I subbed Chioggia beets for the cauliflower and peas and swapped tarragon for parsley.

• Marinated bean salad

  • ellabee on August 11, 2017

    p.115. equal oil & vinegar, just a few Tbs sugar.

• Mushrooms berkeley

  • lajaxon on September 13, 2015

    This is an easy, delicious, hearty mushroom recipe. I usually serve it on rice, but potatoes or noodles would work too!

  • ShieldmaidenofRohan on October 17, 2020

    I love this and have been making it for years... So delicious and it smells wonderful when cooking. I usually use more than a pound of mushrooms, maybe 1 1/2, and cut way back on the brown sugar.

• Zucchini quiche

  • thegreatzaza on November 29, 2025

    I got married because of this recipe. The stacked layers of zucchini and a sour cream base make this visually beautiful and gives it a flavor unlike any other typical quiche. It expands very tall it's quite showy. I feel like I might have ditched the bread crumbs after a few times making it but it's been awhile since I've made this.

• Three-cheese ramequins

  • ruthdeutsch on March 28, 2021

    Very strongly flavored and very decadent, but delicious in small quantities. Nice served with a big green salad.

• Cottage cheese pancakes

  • ruthdeutsch on March 28, 2021

    Delicious and work equally well with gluten-free flour.

• German apple pancake

  • ruthdeutsch on March 28, 2021

    Easy and impressive. I usually serve it with sauted apples or fresh berries and whipped cream. I've used cast iron skillets in three different sizes; the recipe successfully scales both up and down. Batter with one egg in a small skillet makes a nice individual serving.

• Savory cheese and onion pie

  • ellabee on August 20, 2012

    page 210. This was a smash hit when I first made it in 1974, and has stayed a favorite ever since. To take full advantage of the tomato-onion-basil flavors remaining in the skillet after the tomatoes have been added to the pie, pour the cream into the (somewhat cooled) skillet and stir to incorporate the butter and bits; then return liquid to mixing bowl to beat in the egg before pouring over the pie. A successful variation: leeks for onions, red potato slices for tomatoes, thyme and bacon for basil. Another is leeks, summer squash, and chives.

  • bching on December 03, 2020

    It tastes like my 20s! I haven't made this since the 80s but it's just as rich and delicious as I remembered. Only change I'd make is partially blind baking the crust.

• Pizza rustica

  • CynthiasCooking on February 27, 2021

    I love this dish. It's tasty and usually beautiful. I do have difficulty with the shortcrust pastry - it is always WAY too dry to actually do anything with and I always end up adding significantly more liquid. But the lemon juice in it (I've never tried the Marsala) is really good. The crust is a separate recipe, but is called for in this dish.

  • ruthdeutsch on March 28, 2021

    This is a favorite family dish and one I often pull out for company. It's a bit of work to put together, but always tastes great and looks really impressive. I serve it with a green salad to make a complete meal. In our house it's known as "Pizza Pie Pie".

• Classic welsh rabbit

  • mcvl on April 03, 2018

    I make this with Guinness stout for a richer, more complex taste.

• Mexican cheese pudding

  • ruthdeutsch on March 28, 2021

    Kids love this!

• Kasha

  • mcvl on June 17, 2018

    I hadn't made kasha in ages (I like it OK, my husband despises it), so went back to this old recipe. Somehow I had forgotten that you need either to start with a thick base of melted butter or to use a nonstick pan, otherwise you have a hard-to-clean egg mess when you're done. Delicious, though,; I'll have to make it more often.

• Baked macaroni and cheese

  • donna_fc33sh on June 06, 2026

    The VERY best mac ‘n cheese you will ever devour…scrumptious!

  • donna_fc33sh on June 06, 2026

    The Original Vegetarian Epicure by Anna Thomas is a cookbook for all. Her recipes are so good you’ll never miss the meat.

• Baked polenta

  • ellabee on February 24, 2013

    p.249.

• Potato curry

  • ellabee on August 27, 2012

    page 256. A great dish for potlucks -- easy and inexpensive while delicious & visually appealing. The potatoes and yogurt handle the heat from the spices, and the peas brighten it. Good room temperature as well as warm, so can serve as a sort of potato salad.

  • wbmccarty on April 07, 2022

    Quite bland and so not at all pleasant. A disappointment given the usual high standard of book and author.

• Bryani

  • radishseed on September 29, 2012

    We ate this with banana raita, which was a creamy, salty, sweet complement to the rice and vegetables in the bryani.

• Pastry brisee

  • ruthdeutsch on March 28, 2021

    This is my default pastry recipe for pies and quiche. Easy and always works. Handle gently for the flakiest results.

• David's Table

  ...there is something downright magical about it. If you are unfamiliar with it, it’s hard to comprehend. But open up a copy and spend some time with it...soon it will work its charms on you.

  Full review